Hulu rolls out commercial-free subscription tier for ad-haters

In July, rumors surfaced that Hulu was putting the finishing touches on a new subscription tier that would eliminate ads completely. On Wednesday, the streaming video service made it official.

Starting today, those interested in Hulu’s services can opt for the standard subscription with commercials for $8 or the ad-free experience for an additional four bucks monthly. Hulu’s free service, also known simply as Hulu, remains intact.

Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins told The New York Times that you can split people into two categories: ad avoiders and ad acceptors. There are clearly people who will not subscribe to Hulu because there are ads. With the new option, Hopkins believes his company can bring ad avoiders back into the fold.

Hulu is the last of the three major streaming video providers to move away from commercials.

In comparison, Netflix offers commercial-free subscriptions starting at $8 per month while Amazon offers an ad-free experience during video playback as part of its $99 per year Prime subscription (which also includes a number of other amenities).

Hulu has shown a rekindled interest ever since its owners – 21st Century Fox, Comcast and Walt Disney – decided not to sell the site a few years back. Earlier this week, for example, Hulu signed a multi-year deal with Epix that’ll bring its movies to the site. Netflix opted not to renew its distribution deal with Epix which expires at the end of September.